How to Save a Life
by DrChaseIsLove
Summary: Takes place mid Boy in a Bush When Sean and David Cooke are unable to return to their foster home, Brennan's experiences and memories with the system push her to take them in. Now Brennan must raise two children, with only the help of Booth and the team
1. Acceptance

**How to Save a Life**

**A/N-** Takes place mid "A Boy in a Bush". Brennan takes Sean and David in as foster children to make sure they are taken care of properly. Thanks to ReadingRed for the story idea.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own _Bones_, Brennan, Booth, or the Squint Squad. A girl can only dream.

**Acceptance**

The interrogation room was silent except for Sean's short breaths and sniffles. Brennan could feel Booth's eyes watching her every movement through the one way mirror. Usually she was never allowed in that room with a witness alone. Brennan wasn't the greatest people person, but this was an exception.

Brennan knew how horrible the foster system could be. Several years of being moved from house to house showed her how small and insignificant it could make someone feel. She felt for this little boy. He was so young and so innocent. No one deserved the instability the foster system incurred. Brennan was determined to catch this killer and give these children better lives.

Sean's sudden sniffle interrupted Brennan's determined thoughts with a harsh reminder. He was scared and getting information from him wasn't going to be easy. She would have to show him she understood his situation and gain his trust.

"They give you a garbage bag to carry all of your stuff." She started slowly. "Like they're telling you everything you own is garbage. And then you have to go to a new school in clothes that smell like garbage bags." Sean looked up with big sad eyes.

"All of the regular kids know you're a foster kid." A bit of confusion brushed his face. "How do you know what it's like?" Brennan took a deep breath and continued.

"They bounce you from place to place and it's never home. Sometimes the foster parents are nice." Sean's face brightened up.

"Like Margaret?"

"Yeah." She paused. "And sometimes they separate you from your brother." She inhaled again as tears rushed to her eyes. "It must have been nice with Margaret; staying with David." Now Sean was crying.

"We got bunk beds. At night I knew David was there… like he was guarding me." He sniffled again and her heart swelled with empathy. "Margaret's nice." Sean said slowly.

Brennan sighed. Margaret _was_ nice. It was unfortunate that after this incident she wouldn't be able to be a foster parent anymore. Sean and David would be put back into the foster system and sent to another home. Maybe it would be good and maybe it wouldn't.

"You'd do almost anything to stay with Margaret, right?" Sean nodded. "The man you took Charlie to, the man that hurt him, he knows that. You didn't know that he'd hurt Charlie, but he did. And then he told you that Margaret would blame you. That she'd hate you. But this man is lying to you, Sean. If you tell us who hurt Charlie we can catch him, find you and David a good foster home and let Margaret go."

"We can't go back to Margaret?" His wide eyes were too much for Brennan. Two tears slipped from her eyes and onto the floor. It was no use lying to him. It would be cruel to let him think they could go back and then rip that happiness away. Brennan shook her head.

"The system won't allow it after a situation like this." Without meaning to her voice filled with compassion and sorrow. "If you tell us who the man is though, we can let her go and find you and David a good home." Sean began to cry and threw himself into her arms.

At first Brennan was shocked. Quickly she wrapped her arms around the weeping boy and the awkwardness melted away. She moved her hand up and down his back in attempt to calm him down and after a few moments Sean regained enough composure to lean back and whisper a name in her ear.

"It was Edward Nelson." The four words were almost inaudible, but to Brennan he might as well have been shouting them. She had gotten the name, but though she had succeeded, her heart had broken all over again in the process.

"Nice work, Bones!" Booth approached her with an expectant hand in the air. Both his grin and his arm quickly fell at the sight of Brennan's long face. It looked worn and depressed, aged from years of unnecessary burdens. Feeling that she needed to talk he held out his arms. "What's wrong? We're going to catch the killer and you single handedly got the name!"

"I was a foster kid." She confessed slowly. Booth sighed and pulled her over to a bench in the hall.

"I kinda figured that out." He said in a calm tone. "When you said 'they take you away from your brother' I didn't think you were talking about David Cooke." He looked into her eyes to see a cloud of fear and sorrow. Brennan spoke in a small and quiet voice.

"It's too much." She let out a breath and accepted the warm hug. "I couldn't help but see myself in that boy. He only has his brother and a few possessions. No family, no friends, and now he's lost the only good home he's ever had. And who knows where he'll end up next? There are so many horrible homes in the system." Brennan sniffled and wiped a tear from her eye as Booth moved his hands up and down her arms at a comforting pace. "I wish I could do something to help them."

"It's okay, Bones. They'll find a good home. The FBI can look into it and we can handpick the family they get assigned" Booth reassured her, but Brennan wouldn't listen.

"No. The system is completely incompetent. I might as well run the whole thing by myself. The kids would be better off." She stopped and looked up as her eyes brightened. "In fact…" Brennan pulled away from Booth with a sly smile and turned back the way she came.

"Bones? BONES!" Booth called after her, but she didn't turn around.

A half an hour later Booth found Brennan in a conference room with Sean, David, and a representative from the Adoption and Foster Care Center.

"Booth! I'm so glad you're here!" He rounded the table to sit next to his partner with a confused look. She and the representative each had a stack of forms in front of them and the boys wore excited but nervous looks.

"What's going on?" he said slowly. Her grin widened and she glanced at the boys.

"Temperance is gonna take us in!" The boys blurted. Brennan gave them a teasing look before turning to Booth to share the good news.

"I'm accepting Sean and David as foster children!" Her excitement was contagious.

"Wow, Bones! That's great!" He reached over and hugged her. "Congratulations!" She nodded. In reality Booth wasn't so sure this was great. He knew Brennan was talented when it came to a lot of things, but children were not her forte. Booth had faith though, that Brennan could succeed at whatever she wanted.

Twenty minutes, numerous signatures, and a few handshakes later it was official: Sean and David Cooke were the new foster children of Ms. Temperance Brennan.

**A/N**- Phew! Well I hope you all like it so far because it's definitely fun to write! So please review or recommend, and maybe if you like my writing, read my BB one shot "Making Real Love". Thanks!

PS- More reviews mean more updates. ; )


	2. Assurance

**Assurance**

**A/N**- Wow! A _bunch_ of people added this to their story alert list, a few to their favorite story list, some reviewed and I even got a favorite author! Thanks so much for all of your support!! So here's chapter two which promises some good BB moments and some cute scenes with Brennan and the boys. Enjoy!

Disclaimer- I still don't own _Bones_, the characters, or the plot. I'm still wishing though…

………………………………

Outside the conference room the Jeffersonian was buzzing with the news: Brennan had gotten foster kids. The information was shared over coffee in the break room, whispered to neighboring coworkers, and left in voicemails. It spread like fire and reached the lab before the four could even arrive.

Booth and Brennan led the boys around the corner and into the lab, where Angela promptly scurried off the platform. "Sweetie!!" She hugged her friend and continued. "I'm so happy for you! Everyone heard all about it!" Brennan couldn't help but laugh.

"You can tell our case is over when the gossip spreads like wild fire." Generally Brennan hated gossip, but since it momentarily spared her the long explanation of what happened, she ignored the pet peeve. Angela giggled and turned to the boys.

"Hi there. I'm Angela Montenegro, but you can just call me Angela." The boys smiled.

"Nice to meet you." They said in unison and put out their hands. Angela shook both as they introduced themselves. Very quickly the rest of the team gathered around the boys and began to make their introductions.

"I'm Dr. Goodman. I'm the one in charge." He showed a smile of authority and shook their hands. Very quickly though, his face turned more serious. "We're all very sorry for your loss." All around the boys, people nodded. They politely thanked the team before Zack stepped forward, placing out his hand.

"I'm Zack Addy, Dr. Brennan's grad student." Zack looked up nervously at Brennan who gave him a smile of encouragement. "Nice to meet you." He finished. Sean and David smiled politely and nodded in agreement.

"Dr. Jack Hodgins." A voice called from outside the ring of people. Hodgins pushed his way through the row and walked over to introduce himself. "You can just call me Hodgins. I'm the bug and slime guy." He smiled with pride at his unofficial title. Sean couldn't help but giggle.

"Really?"

"You bet, kid! If it has to do with bugs or slime, I know it." Booth raised his eyebrows with sarcasm and Brennan rolled her eyes with a half smile.

"Cool!" Sean exclaimed.

"Cool? It's better than cool." Hodgins was getting excited. "Hey Brennan, can I take the guys for a tour of the lab? Show them around and everything?" Sean turned to her with pleading eyes.

"Please, Temperance?" Brennan couldn't turn down those eyes.

"Sure." She nodded and Hodgins clapped once with excitement. "Not too long though. We're going to go home soon." He nodded and led the boys off, rambling about the thousands of types of beetles and how they can help locate where a body or object was found.

Dr. Goodman and Zack returned to Goodman's office to finish the paperwork for Charlie Sanders, leaving Booth, Brennan, and Angela to discuss the situation.

"What happened?" Angela said as they headed towards Brennan's office. Brennan was silent for a few moments before responding.

"I don't know." She said honestly. "Sitting in the interrogation room with Sean, I just couldn't let him go back in the system. He could end up in a horrible home and maybe even get separated from David. So I decided to do something about it. I asked the representative from the Adoption and Foster Care Center if I could take them in, and after a few signatures and an interview it was official."

"Aw sweetie, that's great!" Angela cooed.

"Yeah. They can sleep in the guest bedroom and there's a great K-12 school down the road that they can attend." Brennan took a deep breath thinking of the plans for the boys.

"It looks like you've got it all figured out." Booth said. Brennan looked down at her feet.

"I don't know about that." The tone of her voice told her friend that something was wrong.

"What do you mean?" Angela questioned gently.

"I don't know if I can do this. You know? The parenting thing." Her voice was small again; Vulnerable and full of doubt. "My parents weren't exactly the best example. What if I fail the boys? What if they get into a lot of trouble or get hurt?"

Angela put her hand on Brennan's shoulder. "I don't know much about kids or raising them," She paused and smiled. "but with you as a role model they're sure to turn out great."

At that moment Zack poked his head in the door of the office asking for Angela's help with some paperwork. With an encouraging smile and hug she excused herself from the room.

Booth, who had remained silent for the whole discussion, had something else big on his mind; a secret he had kept from all of his coworkers. It was a secret that had eaten at him inside since they'd started this case. Booth had been especially determined to find this killer because of the way he could relate to the victim's mother. He had always suppressed his desire to tell Brennan his secret due to timing, but as she sat there dwelling on what a bad foster mother she could be he finally decided it was time.

"Bones, I have a confession." He began. She looked up with inquisitive eyes.

"What is it, Booth?"

He took a deep breath. "There's something I haven't told you about myself." It was now or never and she could probably benefit from his advice _now_. "I have a kid." Booth stated slowly.

Brennan's face squinted in confusion. "A kid?" She echoed.

Booth nodded. "His name is Parker, and he's four. His mother and I didn't get married because, well, I don't know." He paused and scratched his neck, slightly embarrassed. "I wanted to tell you guys but I guess I didn't know how you'd react." Brennan looked at him understandingly. "Well Bones?" He prompted a response.

"Okay." She said matter-of-factly. Booth looked shocked. "What? There's nothing wrong with it. It's natural for one to feel nervous about admitting something like that due to pressure from their peers or colleagues."

"Yeah, but what about my kid?" Brennan had yet to comment on the point of his confession. She shrugged.

"You have a kid." She said simply. "I'm not sure what you want me to say. I _do _think Parker is lucky though." Brennan smiled. "He's got a pretty cool dad."

Booth spread a grin across his face in relief. "Thanks." He was glad his secret wasn't going to cause a problem.

"But" Booth's ears perked up, dreading the catch to her previous statements. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Hello. Bones. You took two foster kids in and were just doubting your parenting abilities." She gave him a blank stare. "I'm a parent." Her stare was still blank. "I can help." He said finally and she smiled.

"Ah, so you're offering parenting advice." Booth shook his head with a grin.

"No, Bones, not _advice_. I'm offering you _support_. Any time you need it just give me a call. I can drop what I'm doing and come help." Brennan let out a breath of air in reprieve.

"Thank goodness _someone_ knows about kids and is willing to help." Booth laughed.

"Any time you need me, Bones. Just call." They got up.

"Thanks Booth." Brennan said gratefully and hugged him.

"Any time." He assured her.

Before Booth could leave though, she stopped him. "Hey Booth?" He looked back at her. "Are you sure I can do this?" He smiled.

"I'm positive." And with that he was out the door and walking towards his office, leaving Brennan to her thoughts.

…………………………

The sun was setting over the Jeffersonian Medico-Legal lab when Brennan, Sean, and David got into the car to go home.

The boys had been thoroughly impressed by the tour that Hodgins had given them. Sean had left the lab gushing about all of the cool things they had been shown, like the Angelator and the autopsy room. Half of the ride back to Brennan's apartment was spent talking about some of the most fascinating cases the team had encountered and though the boys didn't quite understand all the details she included, they were captivated all the same.

About halfway home Brennan began talking about their new lifestyle.

"I'll call the school in the morning." She started. "Hopefully you can start on Monday." She glanced in her rearview mirror to look at Sean who had a nervous look on his face. "Is that okay?"

"Yeah." Sean said quietly. "I guess I'm just nervous. I'm always nervous before we start a new school." Brennan could understand. She had been to so many schools she could barely list them all. No matter how many times she was the 'new kid' though, she never got over her fear of the first day. Would students know she was a foster kid? What if no one wanted to talk to her, so she never got a chance to make any new friends? Would her classes be hard? Would her teachers be mean? There were so many things to be nervous about on the first day that it was completely overwhelming.

"I understand." She said simply. David, who had been suspiciously silent for most of the ride, looked up sharply.

"You understand? Look, I don't mean to talk out of place since you're being so nice, but no one really understands the foster system unless you've been in it." He said curtly, and after a moment of tense silence he added, "It's just something that's always irritated me. I'm sorry." Brennan nodded.

"I really do understand." She turned to look at David in the passenger seat. "I was a foster child until my grandfather got me out. That's why I took you boys in. I know how hard it can be. I just want to give you boys a better foster home."

David was silent for a while before apologizing.

"I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"It's okay. It's in our nature to jump to conclusions. I try to base my opinions on logic, though." She smiled at a grinning David and returned to the topic of school. "Liberty Collegiate School is a few blocks from the apartment. Close enough to come home for lunch, but far enough that you won't run into me between classes." She paused and grinned at the boys. "Then there's no way I can embarrass you."

…………………………

Unlocking the apartment door Brennan was still briefing the boys about their new home.

"You can each have a spare key for emergencies. The neighbors across the hall, the O'Connells, are very nice. If you have any problems and can't get a hold of me on my cell phone, just talk to them." She put her handbag on the table by the door and turned on the lights as the boys brought in their garbage bags of clothes and backpacks. "Put your clothes in a pile by the laundry room. I'll wash them so they're smell free for Monday." The boys smiled. "While you take care of your clothes and shower, I'll make dinner. What do you two eat?" They shrugged.

"Usually whatever is being served." David said and Brennan nodded, sending them off for showers. They returned to a table of homemade macaroni and cheese and rolls.

After dinner and some talking, Brennan led them to their bedroom.

"You'll have to share the queen bed for tonight, but tomorrow we'll go out and get a set of bunk beds. Is that okay?" The boys nodded satisfied, and hopped into bed.

"G'night, Temperance." Sean said.

"Yeah, g'night." Echoed David.

"My room is down the hall if you need me. Goodnight, boys." Before Brennan shut the door though, she paused and looked at the brothers. Memories quickly flooded into her head and were quickly followed by tears held back by her practiced self control. Thoughts of her brother followed her all the way back into the living room and onto the couch, where she proceeded to let go of her tears.

Her moment of sadness was quickly interrupted though, by the pattering of little feet in the hall. Brennan wiped her eyes and turned around to see Sean standing in the doorway. He moved swiftly to the couch and, before Brennan could ask why, engulfed her in a large hug. She sniffled and patted his shoulder. Sean pulled away and looked into Brennan's eyes.

"Thank you, Temperance." He whispered and her tears returned.

……………………

**A/N-** Yay! So I hope you all liked it because it's so much fun to write!! By the way, for anyone that's seen the season two episode "The Glowing Bones in the Old Stone House" I couldn't resist adding the part about macaroni and cheese! So as always if you have any CONSTRUCTIVE comments please review! (I really don't appreciate unnecessary bashing.)

Thanks!!


	3. Trouble

Trouble

**Trouble**

**A/N-** Hmm… this is getting favorited a lot, but no one's reviewing! Is anyone alive out there? Anyways back to the story. Sorry this took so long. Chemistry and World History II have taken up all of my time lately. Unfortunately since this chapter has a lot of important Sean/David stuff, there's not a ton of Bones/Booth fluff. Still I promise that next chapter will be chock full of it.

**Disclaimer-** I don't own _Bones_, Brennan, Booth, or anything else for that matter. If I did we would have had new episodes _ages_ ago.

……………………………**.**

All of Sunday morning was spent scouring multiple furniture stores in search of a suitable set of bunk beds for Sean and David, but it was only in the fourth store that they found the perfect set. It was made of a warm colored wood, with drawers under the bottom bunk. The boys needed the extra drawer space since there was only one dresser and a small closet in the guest room. Brennan set up an appointment to have the set delivered and assembled while Sean and David swiveled in the rolling office chairs at the front of the store.

Back in the car, Brennan and the boys decided to have lunch at the diner. Usually she didn't go on Sundays because it was mostly populated by families that had just come from church. Today though, was an exception. Her fear of the three not getting along that had kept Brennan awake all night had dissipated. She wanted to keep Sean and David entertained and this was one way to do so.

"Race you to the front door!" Prompted Sean. He opened the car door and sprinted across the sidewalk.

"Ha. Like you could beat me!" David turned and chased after him.

"Boys!" Brennan called as she dropped her keys in her bag. They didn't stop. She followed them down the sidewalk and into the diner where they finally stopped. Brennan took a moment to catch her breath before escorting Sean and David to a table by the window.

The waitress promptly came over, handed them menus, and took their drink orders. The boys began to flip through the plastic-covered pages, scanning the choices and bickering over who had won the race. While they conversed Brennan took out her phone and checked her voicemails. There was one from the Foster Care representative about some more paperwork she needed to fill out, one from Booth checking up on her and the boys, and one from Liberty Collegiate saying they had enough space for the boys to begin the next day. Brennan was about to tell the boys the news when Sean quickly sat up straight and spoke.

"Look, Temperance! It's Booth!" Brennan sat confused for a moment before turning around to look at the tall figure standing in the doorway. With the man that she instantly confirmed was Booth was a small blonde haired boy, no more than four. He caught sight of Brennan and looked surprised.

"Bones!" he called from across the restaurant. "What are you doing here? You usually hate coming on Sundays." He and the young boy began to cross the room as Brennan sat still.

"We're here for lunch." She said simply and glanced at the boy. "What about you?"

"Parker likes to come here after church." Booth put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Bones this is my son, Parker. Parker this is Bones. She works with me at the FBI."

"Well I don't actually work _at_ the FBI, just _with_ the FBI. I identify remains, determine their cause of death and then help the FBI with any other evidence."

"Bones" Booth interrupted her and raised his eyebrows gesturing at Parker.

"What?" she said. "It's what I do." Booth turned to Sean and David who looked puzzled.

"Well you guys must have had some _great_ conversation lately." He flashed a teasing smile and they laughed. "Well can we sit and hang out with you guys?" He turned back to Brennan.

"Sure." She said and helped Booth pull a chair over for Parker. They sat down and the conversation continued. The boys began talking about video games while Booth and Brennan talked about the boys.

"So how has it been?" Booth tipped his head towards Sean and David. She sighed

"It's been good so far. We went home, had dinner and talked, and then they went to bed. This morning we had breakfast, went bunk bed shopping, and ended up here." She looked at Booth for approval.

"Good, Bones!" She nodded and changed the subject.

"So that's Parker?" Brennan gestured across the table towards the blonde boy and gave a half smile. Booth's mouth spread in a proud grin.

"That's Parker."

"He's cute." She said in a soft voice and glanced from father to son. For a fleeting moment Brennan felt a surge of envy. Booth had his own child who he clearly loved and loved him back. He was happy where he was, whereas she was left lacking. Throughout the past twenty-four hours Brennan had noticed that she didn't feel quite so empty anymore. She envied Booth in that he had filled this emptiness so long ago.

But as fast as the envy had appeared it was gone. The waitress came with the drinks and took orders, bringing extra silverware for Booth and Parker.

Brennan and Booth began to discuss a new case while the boys moved from the topic of videogames to sports. Slowly the two conversations integrated as Booth and the boys argued over the latest players' stats and Brennan educated them on the anthropological significance of male dominance in athletic interactions.

An hour later the five left the diner to go their separate ways. Booth went to bring Parker back to his mother, and Brennan and the boys left to go school shopping and get ready for the big day ahead of them.

…………………………

The next morning Brennan, Sean, and David got up early to meet the headmaster. The silence on the car ride was only interrupted by the boys' nervous fidgets in their new khakis and polo's, and their protests regarding the dress code.

On their way into the school Sean stopped under the green archway to read the gold lettering. "Liberty Collegiate" It read in large print. Underneath it was their Latin motto: "Experientia Docet" or "Experience is the best teacher."

"Wow." He said "Temperance, are you sure this school isn't too smart for us?" Brennan smiled.

"Education isn't determined by the institution, so much as what you make of institution." Sean's confused face showed her she needed to explain herself. "So long as you work hard and study, it doesn't matter how hard the school is. I know you two will be fine." Brennan looked at the small boy standing in front of her, and felt her heart swell at his expression of understanding. She had to admit she was nervous for the boys today, but maybe it wouldn't be as hard as she thought it would. "C'mon you two," She said, chiding them along. "Let's get inside."

Inside the office Brennan listened to the headmaster gush about what an honor it was to educate anyone that she requested. Headmaster Windsor was a short, white haired man who took more pride in his school than in anything else. Framed pictures of his graduation from Liberty Collegiate and then Cornell hung on his wall, along with his diplomas and a Liberty Fighters flag.

"I can assure you, Ms. Brennan, that Sean and David will love it here. Liberty has such a welcoming community that the boys will find themselves at home in no time." Brennan smiled.

"Thank you, Headmaster. We really appreciate your promptness in enrolling the boys. It can't have been easy to get their schedules and forms together so quickly, so thank you."

"Ah, Ms. Brennan, it was no problem at all. After all, you've done so much for this school over the years that we owe you." The small man smiled at her and picked up two manila folders. "Here are your information packets; Sean's for the lower school and David's for the upper school. Inside you will find your schedules, handbooks, maps and a few other assorted papers that need to be filled out before next week." The boys began to flip through the packets, skimming for important information while the headmaster continued talking. "Unfortunately classes have already started for the day so no one will be available to give you a tour, but we will walk you both to your first classes and be sure you have a guide for the rest of the day." The boys looked up and nodded.

The four then got up and followed the headmaster out of his office and down the hall. They crossed the front lawn and entered a large stone building that Headmaster Windsor told then was the lower school.

"This will be your classroom," Windsor pointed to a door on their right. Inside, Sean could see about twelve children reading out of a textbook and a petite woman at the front of the room writing on the board. "Mrs. Stires will be your teacher. She's very nice, and one of the best lower school teachers we have here."

Sean smiled, masking his nervous feelings. "So do I go in, or should I wait?"

"Go on in whenever you're ready." The headmaster smiled and stepped back from Brennan and the boys. Brennan took this move to be her signal to say goodbye.

She knelt down beside Sean and took one hand. "You're going to have a great time, okay?" he nodded. "David will be right across campus and I'll be across town at the lab if you need anything." She looked up at David who seemed to be struggling to keep a strong face. "Don't be afraid to get either of us," she finished.

"Thank you, Temperance," he said with the same look of gratefulness he had on that first night. He hugged her for a few moments before letting go and turning to his brother. "You'll pick me up after school, right? You won't leave me?"

"Never," David said with a sad smile before giving Sean a hug and handing him his backpack. "Good luck, kid."

The boy turned and took a deep breath before pushing open the door and following Headmaster Windsor across the room. Brennan and David were left at the door, watching Sean as he stood awkwardly in the front of the room. They watched as Mrs. Stires introduced him to the class and as he took his seat next to a small red-haired girl.

"He'll be fine," Brennan assured Sean. "After all, he's learned from the best." Sean smiled at the compliment and picked up his bag.

Once the headmaster had rejoined them, the three crossed the lawn again and headed towards another stone building that Headmaster Windsor identified as the upper school.

Inside, they climbed up two flights of stairs before stopping in front of a classroom.

"This will be your chemistry class," the headmaster began. "Mr. Stone will be your teacher, and inside you'll meet your guide. Sophie will bring you to all of your classes today and show you around campus during lunch break." David looked in the room to see eleven students seated at lab tables, quietly taking notes on what the teacher was saying.

"These classes are pretty small," he said, looking at the headmaster.

"The upper school is considerably smaller than the lower school, and while it may not be the greatest for your social life, I can say from experience that it will be very beneficial to your education." He smiled and took a step back, again signaling that it was time for Brennan to say goodbye.

She took a slow step forward and opened her mouth, but found to words to speak. After stuttering for a moment though, she found something to say.

"Well, have a good day. You can always call if you need me." He nodded awkwardly and thanked her. "So, goodbye I guess." she said as he held up his hand to wave goodbye.

Headmaster Windsor led him into the room where he was greeted with a handshake from the teacher and a wave from every student as they introduced themselves. Brennan watched David as he was introduced to a girl who appeared to be Sophie. She smiled and shook his hand before gesturing him to sit down at her lab table.

As much as Brennan had told herself to be strong for the boys though, she couldn't fight the tears at the back of her eyes; the scene was all too familiar. A tear slipped out of the corner of her eye as she thought about the times she had been the new kid, or the kid that smelled like garbage bags. She desperately wanted to keep these kids from having that happen again.

When she saw the headmaster heading towards the door, she wiped the tear from her eye and regained her composure.

"Well the boys are all settled in," he said with a cheery voice. "So you can probably head on home. They should be absolutely fine." She smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, Headmaster Windsor. Thank you."

………………………………

It was nine before Brennan got to work, and even in just two missed hours of work she had accumulated a multitude of things to do.

The ID machine beeped as she scanned her card and climbed on to the platform to find her team waiting for her. They were gathered around a corpse, bickering over how to handle the case while Brennan was gone. As soon as they saw her though, all of the arguing stopped and Brennan got control.

"So what happened so far?" she questioned Zack.

"The FBI found the body backstage at a theatre in Bethesda. I've determined it to be female, Caucasian, and in her late teens or early twenties." Brennan followed him around the table, closely examining the bones.

"Good job, Zack." He smiled. "The hands seem to be in good shape. See if you can re-hydrate them and get a finger print." Zack nodded.

"Sure, Dr. Brennan," He detached the right hand and left the platform.

"Hodgins," Brennan called. "Scrape the clothes for bugs and particulates. See if she was actually killed backstage." He nodded and set about his task.

Brennan was about to head to her office to check her messages and see if Booth had called, when he climbed onto the platform carrying two cups of coffee.

"Good morning, Bones," he held out a cup. "Coffee?" She shook her head.

"No thanks. I already had a cup this morning, and too much caffeine can cause addiction." Booth raised an eyebrow, but ignored the comment.

"So any ID yet?" He glanced over at the corpse.

"Not yet. I have Zack trying to get a fingerprint and Hodgins trying to get a crime scene. All is as it should be." Booth nodded as Brennan quickly turned to leave. "So if you'll excuse me, I have some messages I need to take care of."

"Whoa there, Bones," Booth followed her off the platform and into her office. "Want to talk about why you're so on edge today?" He crossed the room and put his hand on her shoulder. "Yesterday you seemed so happy." Brennan sighed and looked down at her desk.

"I was. But today…" She paused. "Today is Sean and David's first day of school. I dropped them off and watched them get settled in, and I don't know…" Brennan looked up and felt the tears return. "It's just hard to see them go through it again. I can only hope that this will be the last time their lives are uprooted and they're forced to start over."

Booth nodded in understanding. "I know it's hard, but with you as their guardian you can do everything in your power so it doesn't happen again. You have a lot of control here, and I know you won't let them down." He smiled at her as she wiped her eyes.

"I guess you're right. You really are good at this, you know."

"Yeah," Booth said in a kidding tone. "I guess I am."

…………………………………………**.**

David had never liked chemistry. Over the last two years he had been in three different chemistry classes and had hated every one of them. Part of that dislike had come from his opinion that it was stupid and unnecessary, and part of had come from his bad grades. He had a feeling though, that this time was going to be different.

Not only would he have Brennan to help him when he got stuck, but he had the most beautiful girl he'd even seen as his lab partner and guide.

Sophie always seemed to be in the know. She knew all of the answers, everything about how the school worked and was friends with just about everyone. During their walk from Chemistry to American Literature they had talked about Liberty Collegiate, and David had shared some anecdotes from his 'last school.' She had told him about all of the people and teachers to avoid, and he told her about some of the crazy students and teachers he had met.

An hour later was lunch, and Sophie wasted no time in showing David around the grounds. When they were done they walked to the dining hall, got their lunches, and sat down outside.

"So where, exactly, did you transfer from?" She said as she placed her lunch on the table. David shrugged.

"Where haven't I transferred from?" She giggled.

"So you're an army brat?" David paused, not wanting to tell her who he really was-- not wanting to tell her that he was a foster kid who had just transferred homes. Her gentle brown curls blowing in the breeze and her soft eyes told him it was okay though, and he found himself unable to lie.

"No," he started. "I'm a foster kid." David looked down, not wanting to see her reaction.

"Oh?" Sophie breathed slowly. "And you think that no one will like you, just because of that?" He looked up, stunned at her ability to read him. "Don't think like that. No one has to know who you are. This is your chance to be someone new and not have anyone's opinions get in the way. Besides," she smiled softly and put her hand on his shoulder. "You're a great guy, David. Anyone would be crazy if they judged you just because you're different." David couldn't help but smile. He just hoped that it could mask the fact that he was falling for her very quickly.

"Hey," he began nervously, knowing that it was now or never. "I know we just met and all, but would you maybe want to hang out some time? Get coffee or something?" She looked at him for a moment before nodding.

"Definitely,"

"Cool. How about after classes are over? Maybe you can help me with those stoichiometry problems from chemistry?" he prompted in a teasing tone.

"Sure" she laughed. "I know a great coffee place where everyone goes after classes."

"Awesome," David said with a sigh of relief. So far things at Liberty were going well.

…………………………………

The Beanery was a small coffee shop one block down from Liberty Collegiate. David figured that since he got out of class an hour and a half before Sean, he would have enough time to hang out with Sophie, then go back and get him.

The shop was an average size, but filled with Liberty students. Clusters of them were scattered across the room, some comparing test scores, some in study groups and some just hanging out.

Upon entering, David and Sophie ordered their drinks and found a table by the window. Sophie pulled a notebook out of her book bag, turned to a page with several advanced equations and placed it between them. She began to summarize what they had discussed the previous day in class, but David wasn't listening. He had lost himself in her features before the book had hit the table.

"So after converting the grams to moles you can convert it to pretty much anything. It can become liters if it's a gas at standard temperature and pressure, and molecules or atoms if you use Avogadro's number. Does that make sense?" She looked up at David to find his eyes looking into hers, but not listening at all. "David?" she repeated.

"What? Oh yeah." He shook himself out of the trance. Before she could continue teaching though, David changed the topic. "Hey Sophie? Can I ask you something?"

She looked up from the equation and nodded.

"Did you mean what you said? I mean, about no one having to know who I am." She closed the book and sat forward in her chair.

"Absolutely. Take you and me for example; I liked you before I knew you were a foster child. Those kinds of things don't make a difference. Just be who you are and true friends will come easily." Sophie smiled encouragingly and leaned on the table.

"Like you?" He mumbled, leaning towards her.

"Like me." She smiled. His faced hovered just inches from hers and he was fully prepared to seize the moment when he was abruptly interrupted.

"What the hell are you doing, Soph?" the voice came from a large guy, seemingly six feet tall, wearing a Liberty Fighters Football jacket.

"Alex. When did you get here? I thought you had a game." Sophie stood up and desperately clambered for something to say.

"It was cancelled. It's raining in Pennsylvania. But it's sure nice to know I have such a supportive girlfriend to hold down the fort for me while I'm gone." The guy gave her an angry look before turning to David. "And who the hell do you think you are, getting comfortable with my girl?" David stood up stunned, but prepared to defend himself.

"Whoa, man. I'm sorry. I didn't know she was your girlfriend. Today's my first day here, I just asked her to show me around."

"Yeah, Alex, don't blame him. He didn't know, and I was just trying to help him out." She stood between him and David before quieting her voice and continuing. "Just let him be. He didn't know." Alex shook his head, getting redder by the second.

"You better move, Sophie, I don't want you to get hurt." Her petite frame shuddered, but stayed in place as she shook her head, silently begging him to stop.

"Please move, Sophie. We can handle it." She turned.

"Okay." She breathed slowly and moved out of the way.

"Son of a…" Alex threw a punch and David ducked. The window shattered.

Everyone in the shop looked up and some screamed.

"Alex!" Sophie shouted. "Stop!"

Alex didn't stop. He swung again, hitting David in the face and knocking him back. David tried to punch back, but before he could swing another blow came from Alex, this one knocking him into the broken glass of the window.

By now the shouts had grown and the baristas were out from behind the counter, rushing people out of the store and settling Alex down. Sophie, horrified, began to cry and ran out.

………………………………………………**..**

In the lab things were progressing slowly. They had identified the victim as Amy Carr, a twenty year old theatre student at American University, and determined that she had been strangled with a curtain, but nothing else.

Booth and Brennan had visited the scene where the body was found to search for more evidence, but returned empty handed. Their only suspect, Amy's understudy, Katie, was let go when she produced a legitimate alibi.

By four 'o clock the team was exhausted. They had been at work since seven, when they had been assigned the case. Nevertheless they carried on, pumping caffeine into their systems in a desperate attempt to keep working.

Brennan was exhausted too but more emotionally so than physically, since her day had started two hours later than everyone else's'. The past few days had been a whirlwind for her, swirling with painful memories and bittersweet experiences which left a harsh trace that Brennan couldn't quite shake off.

On the platform she and Booth were bickering over suspects and their motives when her cell phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered quickly. "Hi Sean, what do you need?"

Booth quickly saw her face go pale. She was silent for a few moments before continuing.

"I'll be right over and we'll find him, okay?" Brennan paused before saying goodbye and hanging up the phone.

"What's wrong? Are they okay?" Booth's voice rose with worry. She clambered for something to say.

"David was supposed to walk Sean home from school—forty minutes ago. Sean's been waiting and he hasn't showed."

"Well where's David?" Booth questioned, hoping she knew. Brennan ripped off her lab coat, dropped it on a nearby table and turned to leave.

"We have no idea." She called behind her. Booth however, would not be left behind.

"Wait!" he shouted and she stopped. "I'm coming."

"Booth," she protested.

"I'll drive. We can use the siren; we'll get there in half the time." He watched her quickly weigh her options before turning again.

"Fine, but hurry!"

……………………………………………………………

**A/N-** Oh the suspense! Haha well I hope everyone is enjoying this. If you are or even if you aren't please review. Constructive criticism and comments are always welcome! Until the next chapter please check out some of my other fics like Making Real Love.

PLEASE REVIEW. I'll write faster, and know what I need to improve.

Thanks!!


	4. Support

Support

**Support**

**A/N- **Sorry this has taken so long. School got pretty crazy (the stress of exams made me physically sick!). Thankfully it's over, and now I'll have way more time to update. WHO ELSE TOTALLY THOUGHT THE FINALE WAS BOGUS? They barely talked about Booth getting shot! Grr! Thanks to everyone for the reviews, but keep them coming! If no one's reading, then I'll move on to different fics and ideas. But anyways, here's chapter four, Support. It's short and probably filled with errors, but I needed to post it before I left for vacation so here it is! Hope you like it!

**Disclaimer-** I don't own _Bones_, Booth, or Brennan, or the Finale would have been soooo different.

…………………………………………………**.**

After picking up a scared Sean at the lower school, Brennan and Booth combed the campus for David, searching the buildings and shouting his name across the grounds. It was only after thirty minutes of searching that they came across a teacher who suggested that they check the coffee shop down the road. Moving quickly down the street lined with shops they found chaos surrounding The Beanery.

Booth, being the experienced father who was determined to find David and make sure he was okay, flashed his badge at anyone standing in their way, insisting that this was an urgent matter. Brennan and Sean followed in Booth's wake, stopping only when they reached the Police officer at the door of the shop.

"Can I help you?" he said gruffly, folding his arms. Booth shifted feet and held up his badge.

"Special Agent Seeley Booth" He introduced himself, then answered the cop. "Yes you most certainly can. What's going on here?" The cop, slightly intimidated by Booth's status, took a less pretentious pose and considered the question.

"About an hour ago there was a fight in there," he gestured inside. "Two kids got rough and one got pushed into the window." He gestured to the broken glass. "It's no surprise though. One kid was a football player, the other was some foster kid, and one was with the other guy's girlfriend. Same old story."

At those words Brennan's heart began to pound caused by an almost motherly instinct. "Quick" she stepped up to the police officer. "Where's the foster child?" Brennan may have been socially oblivious, but when it came to logic and putting two and two together, she never failed to find a sum of four.

The officer scratched his head lazily then pointed towards an ambulance. "I think he's in there. The kid's beat up pretty badly."

Before Brennan could even hear the words he spoke, she set off running in the direction the cop had pointed. Booth, thanking the officer, scooped up Sean and began to chase Brennan toward the ambulance that was parked across the street.

As she ran towards the stationary truck, Brennan's mind was racing. _Oh God. What if he's hurt? What if he hurt someone else? Please let David be okay._

Her footsteps slowed as she neared the ambulance, and through her heavy breaths she demanded to see David, but stopped when she blurted a phrase she never thought she'd articulate. "I need to see my son." Brennan panted awkwardly, stopping at the word 'son' like it was a foreign word she had yet to know the meaning of. The paramedic nodded and led her around the back where she found David sitting in the back with a paramedic bandaging his arm. His face was trimmed in blood, and Brennan could see the cuts all over his body where he must have hit the glass when his opponent punched him.

"David" she whispered quietly, tears flooding the back of her eyes.

He looked up, started to find his foster mother there. "Temperance," He started, small pangs of guilt hitting his stomach. For a moment David considered apologizing, until Brennan became so filled with anger she began to speak in a louder, more commanding voice.

"David, what happened? You got in a _fight_?" she emphasized the word fight, indicating her dislike of violence before her thoughts turned to Sean. "Did you remember that you had to pick your brother up? You left Sean at school!" The paramedic moved from being in between the two and left to find another bandage.

"Well I wasn't in much of a state to go walk a mile to pick up my kid brother." He retorted quickly. "And who are you to judge? You don't know what happened!"

"I most certainly do," Brennan looked back toward the police officer at the door. "You were with some football player's girlfriend!" She exclaimed in exasperation. "He challenged you and you punched him!"

With this, David had had enough. "How would you know? Did the cop _say_ that I punched the guy? Or did he say I was a foster kid who got into a fight and you _assumed_ I threw the first punch?" Brennan quickly fell silent at this and took a step back.

"I…" she stuttered but was interrupted.

"For someone who was a foster kid and says they shouldn't be judged, you certainly are quick to make assumptions."

The words echoed through Brennan's head, leaving a bitter lining of guilt.

"I'm sorry," she whispered softly. "I don't know what came over me. I guess I was so worried about you that I broke my own rule; I jumped to conclusions." Knowing she had done something terribly wrong, her eyes silently begged him for forgiveness before she apologized out loud. "I'm sorry."

…………………………………………………………………………**.**

Booth had quickly appeared around the back of the ambulance, giving David an easy excuse not to respond to his foster mother's apology. Since Brennan had come in her partner's Chevy, Booth was needed to bring her to the lab and the boys home, so they waited for the paramedics to treat David before walking in silence to the car.

At Brennan's apartment she let the boys inside, made sure they were settled, and instructed them to do their homework. Sean cooperated and immediately took a seat at the dining room table with his books and a pencil. David on the other hand, flopped onto the couch, took out his chemistry notebook, and, at the sight of a drop of dried blood, let a tear slip out of the corner of his eye. Not wanting Brennan to see this, he wiped the tear, slammed his book shut and grabbed another from his bag.

Out in the parking lot, Brennan climbed back into the car with Booth and he started the engine. Once they were under way she let out a large sigh. Booth, still wondering exactly what had happened, asked his partner what David had said and what had happened to make her so tense.

"I don't know." She answered slowly, trying to piece the events together. "David must have been with a girl at the coffee shop when her boyfriend showed up and they got in a fight."

Booth shrugged. "Sounds simple enough." Brennan shook her head.

"I made a mistake, Booth. I made a _huge_ mistake." He turned his head from the road and looked at her, silently asking what. "I broke my cardinal rule; when the police officer said that one of the kids was a foster kid, I _assumed_ that David was the one who threw the first punch. Not only did I jump to a conclusion, but I made the assumption that the foster child would be the one to start the fight—a stereotype I've been fighting for most of my life. Then I accused David of something based on a faulty assumption, and he instantly saw the error I had made." She paused to sigh again before turning to face Booth. "I think I really hurt his feelings." Brennan said quietly.

Booth looked over to her, sensing her need for comfort. Brennan could compartmentalize all she wanted, but Booth would always know when she needed his support and care. "Aw Bones." He put his right hand on her shoulder, leaving his left on the wheel. "What you did, it was totally natural. You were so worried about his safety that you jumped into Mom-Mode. On tough issues parents and kids, they bond together. You figured that someone got hurt, and like any good parent, you didn't let the blame slide to the other side. You made your child and you take responsibility for what happened; given it wasn't actually his fault, you weren't blaming him for anything, you were taking the blame yourself."

As he said 'yourself' he poked her in the shoulder and she gave a weak smile.

"I guess you're right." Brennan watched Booth smile a grin that she could only describe as brilliant and charming.

"I usually am," he retorted and she rolled her eyes lightly.

"How exactly do you know all this?" She knew he was a parent, but she couldn't help but wonder if Booth's experiences as a father sharpened his ability to read people and understand human nature. Sitting there in the car she speculated if only a few years of parenthood could make a person that much more insightful.

"It comes with time, Bones. You'll see. Kids are kind of a mystery. They don't tell you everything that goes on, and because they're not bones it's not exactly easy to understand them; you have to interpret their actions and words to read their characters."

For once Brennan understood exactly what Booth was talking about. She had been in Sean and David's position once, and she had never talked to her foster parents. In hindsight, she wondered if life might have been made easier by confronting them about their irritating habits or confessing personal problems.

"How much time does it take?" she asked.

Booth turned to look at his partner who was worn, tired, and defeated from fighting the emotions of her past and the problems of her present. Their eyes met and as he looked into them he could see her determination to right what had been wronged. Booth had never adored his partner more than he did right at that moment.

"Give it time, Bones, give it time. Everything happens eventually."

……………………………………………………………………………………**.**

**A/N- **So there is chapter four! I hope you all liked it. If you did (or even if you didn't) I would love it if you would review with comments or suggestions. Reviews really do make a writer's day! Thanks again!


End file.
